Portsmouth man 'over the moon' with his brand new council home

27 February 2018

THE FIRST tenant of Portsmouth City Council's brand new supported living housing block says his new home will 'make all the difference in the world' to him.

Mark Tickner says he can't wait until he moves into one of the purpose-built maisonettes the council has completed on Eastern Road.

Mark's the latest Portsmouth resident to benefit from the most ambitious council home building programme in the city for a generation which has seen the council build more than 200 affordable and supported living houses and flats across Portsmouth and on sites the council owns in Havant.

"My new home just can't come soon enough for me," Mark said.

"I just love it. I'll have more independence and more space to myself. I love the way it looks and I love the great views."

Mark will move into the high quality, energy efficient £2.1m 12-bedroom development early next month.

The completion of the four maisonettes and two flats will be followed in the Spring by the handover of 51 flats and nine houses in Ivy Close on the site of the old Somerstown Health Centre. Another two housing sites, totalling 86 more new Portsmouth City Council homes in Havant, are also progressing well.

The council has also completed another eight housing blocks and terraces in Portsmouth in the last five years many of which have gained recognition from local architecture award organisers.

Leader of the council Cllr Donna Jones said: "It's been great to have had the opportunity to meet Mark and to see what a difference this building will make to people like him.

"We are building more council houses at the moment than any other council outside London.

"One of the houses at Ivy Close is for a veteran and his young family. It has a lift and is for a family of five which shows that we're building houses to meet people's individual needs.

"For the Eastern Road development we used council teams to demolish the old building and council architects, engineers and landscape architects to design and manage the construction of the new building."

Director of Property and Housing James Hill said: "The Eastern Road block is a great example of joint working between housing services and adult social care and we are very proud that by working together we've been able to achieve a development that improves the lives of local people."

To find out more about the council's ambitious home building programme search 'housing development' at www.portsmouth.gov.uk or call 023 9283 4954.

New tenant Mark Tickner meets council Leader Cllr Donna Jones

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